Multistage aerospace vehicles are widely used to carry payloads into orbit and propel space vehicles into outer space. One or more booster stages accelerate an orbital stage, or vehicle, toward space. Depleted booster stages are generally dropped in order to reduce the weight of the aerospace vehicle. After each booster stage has served its purpose in attaining a certain velocity, it separates from the next stage and falls back to earth.
Timely and proper separation of stages in an aerospace vehicle often requires intricate planning and design, and typically involves high-cost, sensitive hardware and instrumentation. Separation is often accomplished by detonating pyrotechnic devices in a predetermined sequence which in turn disengage the mechanical connection between stages.
Pyrotechnic devices, however, are hazardous explosives, and inherently expensive to manufacture, deliver and handle. Therefore, the number of pyrotechnic devices employed in a given system has significant cost implications. Furthermore, the shock and debris of pyrotechnic devices may have a deleterious effect on other system components including the booster stage(s) and orbital vehicle because they cause structural damage above and beyond that required for separation. This collateral damage increases with the number of devices utilized and impacts the ability to reuse system components for subsequent launches.